Veiled Serpent MTG Card

Urza's Saga (USG)
1998-10-12 - Number 110

Veiled Serpent - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)

Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
2023-01-13 - Number 72

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Enchantment
Abilities	Cycling

Key Takeaways

Veiled Serpent provides sustained card advantage, ensuring flexibility and a full hand throughout the game.
Its flash ability and mana generation add unexpected depth and adaptability in various situations.
However, discarding for its use and specific mana requirements limit its versatility in diverse decks.

Text of card

When one of your opponents successfully casts a spell, if Veiled Serpent is an enchantment, Veiled Serpent becomes a 4/4 creature that cannot attack unless defending player controls an island and that counts as a Serpent. Cycling (You may pay and discard this card from your hand to draw a card. Play this ability as an instant.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Veiled Serpent enables you to subtly shift the tide of the game by providing continuous card draw each turn it remains on the battlefield, keeping your hand replenished and your strategies flexible.

Resource Acceleration: With an activated ability that generates mana in a pinch, the Veiled Serpent can act as a surprise source of resource acceleration, ensuring you’re never too far behind on your mana curve.

Instant Speed: The flash mechanic of Veiled Serpent means you can deploy it at instant speed, keeping your opponents guessing and allowing you to adapt to the current board state without telegraphing your plays too early.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Veiled Serpent necessitates the discarding of another card as part of its casting or activated abilities, which can be a setback when you’re already dealing with a depleted hand. This condition can hinder your game plan by forcing you to choose between keeping a balanced hand or utilizing the creature’s full potential.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana cost of Veiled Serpent includes blue mana, restricting its inclusion to decks that run this color. Players who do not include blue in their decks will find this serpent incompatible with their strategies, significantly narrowing its versatility across the diverse array of MTG deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Veiled Serpent comes at a higher mana cost when compared to other creatures with similar power and toughness. Its casting cost can slow down your early game, especially when competing against decks that rely on efficiency and speed. In an environment where mana efficiency is key, Veiled Serpent may not be the optimal choice for players looking to apply early pressure or maintain momentum.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: The Veiled Serpent enhances blue-based control decks with its ability to transform into a potent threat. It’s as much at home in a tempo deck as it is in a control or midrange strategy, adapting to the role needed, be it early defense or late-game finisher.

Combo Potential: This serpent is a natural combo piece in decks that toggle between night and day or that benefit from creatures entering the battlefield. Its ability to disguise and then emerge as a creature provides synergy with various blink and transformation effects.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where slow, grindy games prevail, Veiled Serpent’s enduring presence on the board can give you the upper hand. It thrives in metas with a prevalence of sorcery-speed removal, slipping past them in enchantment form and emerging when the time is right to assert control.

How to Beat

Veiled Serpent is a unique card in Magic the Gathering that poses a tricky challenge for many players. Unlike other creatures, the Veiled Serpent undulates into the game with specific conditions that must be met to unveil its full potential. When facing such a card, understanding its mechanics is crucial for formulating a successful strategy.

To effectively counteract Veiled Serpent, one must keep its enchantment-based gameplay in mind. Cards with enchantment removal capabilities, such as Disenchant or Naturalize, can be pivotal in combatting the Serpent’s strengths. Additionally, since Veiled Serpent relies on conditions such as having eight or more cards in hand to transform, hand disruption spells can thwart an opponent’s plans, making Thoughtseize or Duress very useful tools.

Finally, instant-speed removal spells like Murder or Doom Blade offer a more direct approach, allowing you to respond swiftly to the Veiled Serpent’s transformation before it becomes a formidable threat on the board. Leveraging these strategies, you can effectively minimize the impact of the Veiled Serpent and maintain control of the game.

Cards like Veiled Serpent

Veiled Serpent adds an intriguing dynamic to Magic: The Gathering’s array of blue creatures. Its design bears resemblance to the morph mechanic creatures like Stratus Dancer, which also lies in secrecy until unveiled for combat or effect advantages. Veiled Serpent, while initially an enchantment, transitions into powerful creature form once conditions are met, similar to the transformative nature of Delver of Secrets.

Another comparable card is Ice-Fang Coatl, which offers immediate value through its enter-the-battlefield effect, drawing a card. While Veiled Serpent doesn’t provide immediate card advantage, it compensates with its potential to become a dominant board presence. Secretkeeper is worth mentioning too; with its Venture into the Dungeon ability, it takes a different path towards impacting the game, diverging from Veiled Serpent’s direct combat strategy.

Considering the unique qualities and the conditions for transformation, Veiled Serpent can offer strategic advantages in MTG games. It delivers a surprise element and adapts to gameplay, much like its morphing counterparts, while offering a resilient threat once its condition is fulfilled. Therefore, it holds a distinct place among blue creature cards with its latent yet formidable potential.

Cards similar to Veiled Serpent by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Veiled Serpent MTG card by a specific set like Urza's Saga and Dominaria Remastered, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Veiled Serpent and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Veiled Serpent Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 1998-10-12 and 2023-01-13. Illustrated by Bob Eggleton.

#	Released	Name	Code	Symbol	Number	Frame	Layout	Border	Artist
1	1998-10-12	Urza's Saga	USG		110	1997	Normal	Black	Bob Eggleton
2	2023-01-13	Dominaria Remastered	DMR		72	2015	Normal	Black	Bob Eggleton

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Veiled Serpent has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Veiled Serpent card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2004-10-04	It changes into a creature even if the spell is countered.
2004-10-04	It triggers when the spell is cast, which means it becomes a creature before that spell resolves.
2004-10-04	When it turns into a creature, it is no longer an enchantment.
2008-08-01	A noncreature permanent that turns into a creature can attack, and its abilities can be activated, only if its controller has continuously controlled that permanent since the beginning of their most recent turn. It doesn't matter how long the permanent has been a creature.